Chapter 2
“I babysat her last time.”Brody shook his head as he walked from the stable to the house. “It’s your turn.”
Tanner stood at the front door and watched the dust cloud in the distance, a sure sign that Amanda Hayden was about to descend upon the ranch again. Every ounce of his being rebelled. “I don’t have that kind of time.”
“Well, I don’t either. And I doubt even if Jackson were home that he’d have time either. We’re shorthanded as it is.”
He wiped the sweat from his brow, desperately trying to think of a solution. He refused to let the woman have the run of the house while they were out working. Unfortunately, Isaac had time off until dinner on Tuesdays, so it would be just her and Dad, not an acceptable option.
Brody turned away from the driveway and faced him. “Why don’t we set up some cameras?”
“Cameras?” He frowned. “You mean like spy on Dad? No. I’m not stooping that low.”
His brother threw his hands up in exasperation. “You can’t have everything. Either we set up cameras or you stay here twiddling your thumbs while you stare at her.” Brody stilled. “Or is that what you want to do? She’s certainly a better sight than your bovine sweetheart, Lulubell.”
“Fuck you.” He turned back to the house, Brody’s steps following.
“It was a legit question. When I first saw Amanda, I thought she was attractive, until I learned who she was.”
He opened the door, ignoring his brother. He’d noticed too, which just pissed him off more. People as greedy as the Haydens should look hungry or cruel or something to forewarn others. Not her. In her tailored suit with the short skirt, she looked like a damn model. He’d never seen a woman in Four Peaks with legs that long.
“Her looks could be helpful.”
He walked into the kitchen and pulled open the dishwasher to throw the dirty coffee mugs inside. He scowled at his brother, who remained in the opening that separated the entry from the main room. “I see them only as a detriment.”
“Sure, you do. But Dad will have a pretty face to look at during his therapy. Maybe it’ll help.”
Sometimes Brody’s attempts at humor really pissed him off. He pointed toward the hallway and scowled. “Just go order those cameras. We’ll put them in all the rooms but Dad’s. Have them here by tomorrow. I can’t afford to lose another day of work.”
Brody’s smile faltered. “You do know that even overnight shipping is never overnight out here, right?”
He closed the dishwasher and dried his hands on a towel before hanging it back on its hook. “Just get them here ASAP because after today, you’re babysitting.”
“I’m on it.” Brody disappeared down the hall to the office.
At least his brother was a whiz at ordering supplies. It was one less thing for him to do. Now what he had to do was let his father know his therapy would start today. Walking through the stone arch between the kitchen and the old den, he found Isaac buttoning the final button on Dad’s collared shirt. “Leave the top two open.”
“What?” Isaac looked up. He was a tall man, which was probably to his advantage when moving clients. He had a shaved head and a tattoo just barely visible under his sleeve. He’d come highly recommended.
Unfortunately, so had Amanda. “Leave the top two buttons undone. Dad wears his buttoned shirts like that.”
“Oh, good to know. Thanks.”
Tanner walked to the small table that seated four, pulled a straight back chair away from it and straddled it to face his dad. His gut tensed as he noted his dad’s white shirt with the embroidered horses was loose on him, and it didn’t go with his sweatpants. His large, square head looked too big for his body. It was a weird sight, especially for a man who had always been muscular and in the last few years had grown a bit around his middle. There was no middle anymore. Even Dad’s nose seemed smaller and his expressive green eyes, so much like his own, lacked their usual liveliness.
Issac patted Dad’s bony shoulder. “Okay, we are almost ready for our company. Would you like me to comb your hair?” Not waiting for an answer, the nursing assistant walked into the bedroom.
So Isaac had already told Dad about Amanda. “Is that why you’re all gussied up? For your therapist?”
His dad shrugged, but only one side lifted.
He resented the fancy shirt preparation. He couldn’t very well tell Dad that Amanda was a Hayden, and therefore, not worthy of dressing up for, no matter how pretty she was. “Mrs. Davis is going to be helping you with your physical abilities and your speech.”
His father grunted, staring at him with no expression.
“I think Mr. Dunn is going to do very well.” Isaac walked back in and started combing the too long strands of hair. “I read the report from the hospital. He’s very good at working hard to get better.”
An odd look crossed Dad’s face.
Tanner only noticed because he hadn’t seen many expressions at all. Something about it had him tensing. “Dad has always worked hard, but he can be stubborn.”
His father’s gaze drifted away. Was that on purpose or couldn’t he help it? Damn, he wished he knew more about strokes and even more, wished his father could talk to him.
“So Tanner, what do you think. Is he presentable?”
At Isaac’s question, he pretended to consider, not wanting his dad to know that he looked like a shadow of his old self. “Definitely a handsome dude. Must be where I got my looks from.”
That elicited another grunt, but his dad’s thin shoulders did seem to straighten a bit.
The chimes from the doorbell rang, and he quickly rose, spinning the chair around and setting it back under the table. “That must be Mrs. Davis.” He strode from the room, an unexpected feeling of hope rising in his chest, which he tamped down quickly. He’d barely made it halfway across the kitchen before she stepped into it.
“Good morning. How’s your father this morning?”
Taken aback not only by her entrance into the house but also by her scrubs, sneakers, and ponytail, he frowned. “You couldn’t wait until I let you in?”
She smiled as she walked around him and set her black bag on the kitchen island. “No. I’m going to be here every day, six days a week, starting next week. There’s no need for you or anyone else to let me in. You can go about your daily activities as usual unless I need you, in which case, I’ll call.” She pulled paperwork from her bag.
She was shorter in her sneakers and much more approachable, though the scrubs put him off. Ever since talking to the doctor at the hospital where the ambulance had taken his father, people in scrubs made him feel powerless, and he despised that feeling. But he wasn’t powerless because she was on his ranch and she was a Hayden.
“I found your number in the hospital files and added it to my phone.” She raised her hand as if he was about to argue. “Don’t worry. As soon as I fulfill my contract, I’ll erase it.”
He hadn’t thought that far ahead. He’d barely thought beyond her arriving today. He needed to get his head in the game. “For today, I’ll be hanging around.”
Her brows lowered, but she didn’t say anything, just went back to shuffling her papers. Pulling a packet from the pile, she held it out. “Here you go.”
“What’s that?”
“This is your father’s therapy plan. You said you wanted to approve everything. The first part is for his physical therapy. The second half is for his speech therapy. I also took the liberty of contacting an excellent occupational therapist. She comes with the package you bought from my employer, so no need to worry about an added expense.”
“I don’t put money before my father.” The words came out in almost a growl, and he swallowed hard. If anyone else had made that comment, he could have answered civilly, but coming from a Hayden, it crossed a line.
Her eyes widened. “I meant no disrespect. I inform all my clients of services that are included and make requests for additional ones only if they are absolutely needed. You did want the plan, correct?”
Since she still held the papers out, he took them from her.
“To put it briefly, I’m going to start at the level he was before he left the hospital. I’m expecting good strides of improvement in the beginning and then it will become slower as time progresses.”
As she laid out her plans for his father’s rehabilitation, he lost track. It sounded like another language to him, the kind the doctor had spoken when he’d told him what had happened to his father. Something about blood clots and brain cells dying. He felt completely stupid and out of his element. The feeling was too reminiscent of when he lost his brother. He didn’t have time for feelings. He had a ranch to run.
“Does that make sense?”
He nodded, lifting the sheet of papers. “It will probably make more sense after I read these.” He set the papers down on the island and lowered his voice. “I told my father that Mrs. Davis was his therapist. I want to stay away from your first name to avoid recognition.”
Her brow furrowed and she pulled her lips in. “Hmmm. I’m afraid I already told him I was Amanda yesterday.” She kept her voice low as well. “I think if we stay away from my childhood name of Mandy, we should be okay.”
He didn’t like it, but what choice did he have? It felt more and more like his father’s health was in the hands of others, and he didn’t like that either. “If at any time he figures out who you are, you are to leave immediately. Do you understand?” Though his voice was barely above a whisper, he gave it the force he needed.
She took a step back and straightened her shoulders. “I assure you, I put my patients’ needs first. Always.”
He’d pissed her off, but he didn’t care. As long as his message was heard. “Good. Since we are agreed, you may proceed.” He held his arm out toward the den.
Her lips thinned and she gave him a scowl, but she refrained from speaking. Instead, she left her bag on the island and walked into the den.
He moved around the counter to sit on a stool, pulled the paperwork toward him, and started reading, his ears trained on the conversation going on between Isaac and Amanda. His father’s every move was discussed in what to him was an invasion of privacy. It wasn’t as if his dad’s hearing had been affected.
Finally, the conversation stopped and Isaac came out. “I’m heading out. I’ll be back by four to get his dinner ready.”
“Let me walk you out.”
Isaac raised his eyebrows, but nodded, and they strode out together.
Once outside, he stopped. “I know that communicating my father’s activities and progress is important between all of you. But I’d prefer that you don’t do it in front of him. His hearing is fine and talking about him in front of him is demeaning.”
Isaac put his hand on his shoulder. “You do know that your father will never be the same person he was, right?”
He stepped away, dislodging the man’s hand. “I know he may not return to his same physical capabilities, yes.”
Isaac shook his head. “I’m talking about his personality. Many times, a stroke victim’s personality changes dependent on what parts of the brain were affected.”
He swallowed hard. He hadn’t been told that. “That may be true, but he can still hear and no matter what type of person he is now, I don’t want him talked about as if he isn’t there.”
“Sometimes patients prefer us to not hide things from them, but you’re the boss. I’ll be sure to keep further communications with the other medical staff out of range of his hearing.”
Relieved that his father would continue to be treated like a person, even if he was a stroke victim, he gave Isaac a nod. “Thank you.”
As Isaac walked off, Tanner remained. What did his father’s personality have to do with anything? He watched the man’s small pickup truck head down the drive before returning to the house. When he entered the kitchen, he ignored the paperwork and continued into the den to find his father squeezing a ball, or trying to.
“Excellent. Now I want you to do the same with your other hand.” Amanda took the palm-sized ball and placed it in his father’s other hand.
His father started to squeeze it. This time his fingers buried deep into the ball’s surface.
“That hand is even better.” Amanda smiled.
His father squeezed then suddenly looked directly at him and stopped.
“That was only five. Come on. Give me five more.”
His dad’s hand didn’t move, but he returned his gaze to Amanda.
“Now Jeremiah, we talked about this. You can’t favor one side over the other. I need five more squeezes.”
His father let go of the ball altogether and it rolled across the table. Amanda caught it just as it went off the side. That’s when she noticed him. “Can we help you, Tanner?”
“No, I’m fine.”
She turned back to his father. “I know, he’s such a distraction. Just ignore the dragon in the archway.” She placed the ball next to his father’s right hand.
His dad looked back at him. There was a slight lift to his chin.
It was the tiniest of movement, but it struck a chord in him. That was his dad. He always did that just as he dug in his heels about something. A slice of joy shot through him. His dad was still there!
Amanda rose. “Tanner, I need a word with you.”
Since his father still stared at him, he gave an exaggerated sigh. “Very well.” He turned back into the kitchen, but walked past the island and farther into the family room so they couldn’t be overheard.
Amanda’s sneakers made little sound on the tiled floor as she followed, but he was very aware she was there. “You can’t watch.”
He spun at her softly spoken words. “Excuse me?”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “I said you can’t watch his therapy.”
Affronted, he took a step toward her and pointed toward the old den. “That’s my father in there, and this is my house. I can do whatever the blazes I feel like doing.”
“No, you can’t. Not if you want your father to make progress.”
He dropped his arm, laying his hand on the back of the large armchair his dad used to sit in after dinner. Though he knew she was right, it rankled too much. He wanted to cheer his father on, not ignore him.
“He doesn’t want you watching him.”
His heart seemed to stop at that. Having his instincts confirmed hit a nerve. Did Dad blame him as much as he blamed himself?
She unfolded her arms and put her hand on his. “This is not about you. He has his pride. He doesn’t like you seeing him like this. You need to let him make some progress first.”
Her touch, so foreign, yet so comforting, had him pulling away. He didn’t want to feel anything from a Hayden. “And you know all this when you don’t even know him?” He lifted an eyebrow, not willing to let her know how uncomfortable she made him.
She gave him a sympathetic smile. “But I do. I know what this is like for my patients because I went through something similar.”
At her reference to knowing what it was like, a flashback from high school swept through his mind of her in a wheelchair rolling down the hallway. He’d forgotten. All kinds of rumors flew around school from a drunk driver to falling off a horse.
“Patients like your father are embarrassed because they know what they were like before and how weak and pathetic they are now, and it hurts. Not in a pain way but psychologically. For the head of a household to be laid so low is beyond what his psyche can cope with. So you need to give him some time.”
He just wanted his dad back, but that was obviously never going to happen. Even as the thought filled his head, he rejected it. “Fine. I have stuff I need to do in the barn.” Not caring what she thought of his sudden capitulation, he turned on his heel and strode out the front door even as his chest tightened and his eyes grew moist.
Kicking up dust as he headed for the large stables, he gritted his teeth. His dad would get better, and if Handy Mandy couldn’t make that happen then he’d just find someone who could. He stopped in the shade of the open doors, the scent of hay, horse, and leather calming his emotions.
Since his mom died, it had been him, Jackson, Brody, and his dad. He wasn’t ready for that to change. He’d been trained to take over Rocky Road, he just hadn’t expected to do so twenty years early, and certainly not when the fate of the ranch was up in the air.
There was far too much work to be done to be overseeing his dad’s care when there were trained professionals on the job. If anyone else had been assigned as his dad’s physical therapist, he would be out on the range right now, not cooling his heels in the barn.
Yesterday, when Mandy Hayden showed up on his doorstep, it had been easy to tell her to leave. Today in her damn scrubs, sneakers, ponytail, sympathetic looks, and kind touch, she seemed almost human. He didn’t want her to be human. He just needed her to do her job.
Hisjob was to keep the ranch viable until Dad could take the reins again. If he could take the reins. His father was only fifty-two. He was still young. His body could still recover.
Nodding to himself, he strode into the barn. He hadn’t planned on mucking out stalls all morning, but if it kept him from being around his dad’s physical therapist, then he was happy to do it. He grabbed the shavings fork and the wheelbarrow then yanked open a stall. But as he attacked it with fury, he kept feeling her hand on his and he rubbed the back of his glove as if he could erase the memory.
It had to be because she was a woman, and he hadn’t been with a woman or on a date in far too long. He had too many responsibilities to add a relationship to his list. That was probably why he kept thinking about Amanda’s round blue eyes, bright smile, and seductive curves. She’d changed so much from the thin waif she’d been in high school that he was surprised he’d recognized her yesterday. Then again, her heart-shaped face really hadn’t changed even if her body had. What he hadn’t expected was her kindness. As far as he was concerned, that trait could be deadly.
Nope, he wasn’t going back inside until it was time to give Dad his lunch. Nope, he wasn’t going no matter what.
Amanda shook her head. “Are you flirting with me?”
Another smile formed on Jeremiah’s face.
“Yes, I know you can do the smiles and the puckers. But you need to practice touching your nose and chin with your tongue tonight.”
The man puckered.
Despite her best efforts, Jeremiah was picking and choosing what he wanted to do. It had been like this for over a week now. It was as if he didn’t take his recovery seriously and just liked having her around for company.
Her mind halted. Was that it? He didn’t take his recovery seriously? Her heart squeezed. She’d always been able to read her patients, knowing what it was like to be unable to make their minds and bodies work like they wanted them to. Depression was common, but she hadn’t seen that in Jeremiah at all.
He stopped puckering his lips and stared at her. There was no sparkle in his eye like when he was teasing her. It was his dead-man’s gaze where he looked as if he could see the beyond and wanted to go there.
“Fine, no more tongue exercises for now.”
His green gaze returned to her and focused once again. Then he stuck his tongue out at her.
She widened her eyes in shock before laughing, ignoring the sound of the front door opening. “That’s about as mature as the teenager who was on my sunrise hot-air-balloon ride this morning. He thought doing spitballs over the basket was fun.” She rolled her eyes at what an ass the kid had been, but his mother had been too busy flirting with the balloon operator to notice.
Jeremiah shrugged, his shoulders a little closer to lifting evenly than they had been last week…a little.
She had to figure out how to get him to do all his therapy sooner rather than later. “It was an amazing view. Arizona sunrises are almost as beautiful as its sunsets. My next balloon ride is a sunset. Do you ever watch the sunrise?”
He grunted.
She’d learned that meant he had more to say but wasn’t about to try. Actually, he had three grunts. There was that one. One was a reply like “wiseass.” The other she was still deciding on.
Footsteps sounded across the kitchen and from the cadence she knew them to be Tanner’s. He had a purposeful stride while Brody’s steps sounded more like he was moving only because he had to, probably because he was far less comfortable around his father and didn’t look forward to their lunches together.
Ignoring the man in the other room, who most likely had come in to get lunch for his father, she turned her head toward the sliding glass doors then looked back at Jeremiah. “You know. I could leave Isaac a note to get you up before the sun tomorrow and take you out to see the sunrise.”
The older man gave her a lopsided smirk.
She wagged her finger at him. “Only if it’s something you’d like to do, not just to make Isaac get up extra early.”
Jeremiah’s face crinkled at her catching his motivation.
“Then maybe after I catch a sunset in the hot air balloon, we can have Isaac take you out for the sunset.”
Before Jeremiah could indicate if he’d like to see either, Tanner’s stride announced his interruption. “Are you suggesting Dad go in a hot air balloon?” His eyes, the same color as his father’s, burned with incredulity.
She chuckled before winking at Jeremiah. “You don’t think that’s such a great idea?”
She had to give Tanner credit for being observant. He scanned both of them before the tension left his broad stiff shoulders. “No, but neither do you.”
“That’s correct. I simply asked if your father would like to get up extra early tomorrow to see the sunrise. I watched it from a hot air balloon early this morning, and it was spectacular.”
“You won’t find me in a hot air balloon. Too many things can go wrong.” He faced his dad. “If you want, I can make sure Isaac gets you up tomorrow for the sunrise.”
Observing Jeremiah and his son was a study in contradictions. Tanner was actually trying, but Jeremiah seemed to resent his son’s control over him. As Jeremiah shook his head, she could see Tanner stiffen again. Was he irritated with his father’s stubbornness or hurt that his dad didn’t accept what he offered? She hadn’t noticed such conflict with Brody.
Tanner turned back to her. “I guess not. Are you really planning to go again to see the sunset?”
“Absolutely. It’s exhilarating to be up there with the birds. I’m looking forward to it. In fact, I already booked it for next week. It’s fun.”
His brows rose before he shook his head. “I have too much to do to take time for fun. In fact, I need to finish Dad’s lunch.” With that statement, he strode back into the kitchen.
She looked at Jeremiah. “I better see if he needs help.”
As she rose, Jeremiah nodded his head much faster than he had last week, which pleased her. She walked to the archway and stopped to watch Tanner move about the kitchen as if he was as familiar with it as he was the stables. “I noticed you don’t have a cook. Need any help?”
“No.”
She continued to the island and sat on a stool. “Why don’t you have a cook?” She couldn’t imagine her father not having one.
He didn’t turn to look at her. “Dad said we were plenty old enough to learn how to cook ourselves. So we just take turns.”
“Is that why you and Brody switch off feeding your father lunch every day?”
He nodded, but didn’t turn around as he finished getting the tray together.
“I can understand where your dad was coming from, making you all learn to cook. One of the best meals I ever had was one I made after running the rapids on the Colorado River. We all camped out afterward and fished. Cooking up my fresh caught rainbow trout and adding crushed berries to it from around the campsite made it one of the best meals I’ve ever had.”
He turned at that. “Hot air balloons. Running the rapids? Are you an adrenaline junkie?”
“Hardly.” She waved off the suggestion. “They were only level two rapids. The whole experience was more about being outside and living in nature.”
A grunt that sounded very similar to his father’s came from deep in his chest before he turned back and lifted the tray. Without another word, he left the kitchen, his boot heels striking the tile floor loudly.
She listened as he greeted his father cheerfully, explaining what was for lunch. As much as she didn’t want to give Tanner any kudos, she appreciated that he always spoke to his dad as if his father hadn’t had a stroke. It was one less habit she’d needed to address. Brody, on the other hand, didn’t say much at all to his father.
While Tanner was in the den, she pulled out her laptop and added her notes on the morning’s session. She paused to grab a protein bar from her bag. She had plans to go to dinner with her friend Lauren. They’d made reservations at a new place in Phoenix that was modeled after a Medieval Court. She’d been to one of those in Vegas just the weekend before, but since Lauren rarely got a night off as the single mom of three kids, she had agreed to go.
Finishing her notes and her protein bar, she rose and threw the paper from it in the trash. She couldn’t help but notice the empty steak packages and the broccoli stems. The Dunn boys not only ate well, but cooked well. They would be a catch for any single lady who wanted a cowboy. She couldn’t imagine her brothers cooking their own meals. Now that she thought about it, except for an occasional steak on the grill, she wasn’t sure they even knew how to use the stove. She pitied the women who fell in love with them, if there were such women.
Tanner’s boot heels announced his return, and she moved back to the stool. She wasn’t unaware that he thought she’d take any opportunity to spy on his operation. He hadn’t figured out yet that she could care less.
“He only ate half.”
She looked over the island at the tray Tanner set down and stifled a smile. “If that’s half, then he did well.”
He looked at her and scowled. “He used to eat three times this much.”
“And he used to be out working the ranch all morning. He’s not as physical as he used to be. Wait until I can get him moving more. Then his appetite will pick up.”
Doubt filled his gaze, but he didn’t say anything as he went about wrapping up what was left for the next day.
As much as Tanner didn’t like talking to her, it was clear to her that he knew his father far better than Brody, so he would just have to deal with it. “I need your advice.”
“My advice?” He stopped what he was doing and gave her his undivided attention. “And here I thought you knew everything.”
As annoyance filled her, she noticed the same twinkle in his eye that his father got. Wiseass. “Well I do, when it comes to what I want to know, but in this case, I need a little more information.”
“Really.” His left eyebrow rose, accentuating his sarcasm.
“Yes, really. I need to know what motivates your father.”
He blinked before his brow lowered. “Why do you want to know what motivates Dad?”
Tanner was easier to read than his father. “You can stop thinking what you’re thinking right now. I’m not looking for company secrets. Heck, I don’t even know why our two families hate each other so much.” Well, she did know it was because the Dunns were all about themselves and screw everyone else, but she didn’t know the specifics.
“You don’t know why our fathers hate each other?” His disbelief was clear as he stepped back from the island as if she’d given him cooties or something.
“No, I don’t. My father said it was between him and Jeremiah. And since I respect my dad, I haven’t pried.”
His jaw clenched, making it easy to tell he was struggling not to say something. Obviously, he knew more than she did, but she didn’t want to learn it from him. Not sure if he could keep his knowledge to himself, she returned to her question. “So can you tell me what motivates your dad? I need to find something that I can use to prod him in his therapy. Encouragement only goes so far.”
Tanner remained silent, but he no longer looked at her, so hopefully he was considering her request. His profile showed he had his father’s chin and nose, but his cheekbones must have come from his mom. Those and his hair, which was far darker than Brody’s or Jeremiah’s.
“Dad is motivated by something being done.”
Relieved he was trying to help her, she tread carefully. “That’s a little vague. Can you give me an example?”
“Projects. Any project that he sets to get done, he’s motivated to finish, preferably in the same day. If he wants a new gate on the small corral, then he moves mountains to get it done.”
She pondered that, trying to think how she could incorporate that in his therapy. “So he’s motivated by short term goals. Is he ever motivated by a long-term goal?”
“You mean like a vacation next year?”
“Yes, exactly.” That was something she could definitely relate to.
“No.” Tanner shook his head and went back to packaging up his father’s lunch. “Dad says thinking that far ahead just leads to disappointment.”
Ouch, that was a sad outlook on life. Did Tanner subscribe to that belief as well? She dismissed the thought. This was about Jeremiah not Tanner, and it was hard to say if his father still felt that way. So many things changed after a stroke. “What about rewards?”
“Awards? No my dad wasn’t into those, but Brody was for a time.” He opened the refrigerator and set the containers inside.
“No, not awards, but rewards. You know, like if you get the room painted, you can take the weekend off?”
“Oh, that used to work well with Brody.” He paused. “Still does, actually.” His lips quirked up just slightly. “But not so much with my father or me.”
She was beginning to wonder if she got to know Tanner better, she’d know Jeremiah better, but that could be playing with fire and would only work if Jeremiah’s personality had not been affected by the stroke. “You’re a lot like your father.” She hadn’t meant to voice her observation, but having said it, she watched for his reaction.
He took a deep breath. “Sometimes. We butt heads a lot, but I respect him. And he listens to me once in a while.”
She was well aware that he hadn’t said his father respected him. Then again, parents rarely thought that way. As children, even as the eldest, they were still children to them though she was pushing thirty. “Thank you. This was very helpful. I’m going to study a few methods now that I know what used to motivate your dad.” She tapped on the keys of her laptop to add notes so she could check into different modalities.
“What do you mean ‘used to’? Do you mean like what Isaac said, that my father’s personality might be changed in some way?”
Had Isaac told him that? It was better when a counselor talked to the family, and she was no counselor. “Yes, but that doesn’t mean he has changed, which is why I need to know what has always motivated him.”
He gave her a curt nod, then washed his hands and started to walk out of the kitchen.
Something in his walk told her he was escaping his own thoughts, and she wanted to reassure him. “Tanner?”
He stopped. “Yeah?”
“Your dad is going to get better and better.”
His gaze drifted away from hers. “Yeah.” Then he continued out.
She remained at the island as the front door closed. She couldn’t help feeling for Tanner, even if he was a Dunn. He obviously loved his father and looked up to him. His father’s health issue had been sudden, which must have caught him off guard. It was clear Tanner wanted everything the way it was before, but he was beginning to sense that it would never be the same. Did he realize he would probably never hand the reins of the ranch back to his father?
Her instinct said he didn’t, and her eyes grew misty. If her father could see her now, he’d be furious. Luckily, he had no idea who her patient was, or that she sympathized with the son.
Closing her laptop, she walked back into the den where Jeremiah had fallen asleep in his recliner after lunch as he usually did. While asleep, he looked like any fifty-two-year-old man, except for the loose clothing.
She smiled. Jeremiah still wore his button-down shirts for her. That little sign made it clear that he needed her, even if he didn’t realize it. Maybe she should dress up for him? Oh, now that might very well be a motivator. Would Tanner notice too? Scolding herself for thinking that, she quietly walked back into the kitchen and jotted down a new note.